Often times case manufacturers work hard at creating cases that look great but in doing so sacrifice how the cases feels when held in your hand.  Ergonomics play a key role in keeping you comfortable while sitting at your desk, on your computer. The Module SmartCase from Dacha Works seeks to create the same level of comfort for your hand while it’s using your iPhone. Dacha Works claims the Module SmartCase is the first all-purpose iPhone case to proactively augment the iPhone form factor to greatly improve the user experience. How did it work out for me? Click on through to find out.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

After going to many conferences for my day job, one thing I have always stuffed in my bag has been a power strip.  As any geek knows, there is rarely enough outlets in the hotel room where you need them.  Plus most power strips have all the outlets arranged such that you can’t plug to wall warts side by side.  Well, Outlets to Go from Monster Cable is something I’ve always wanted.  It gives you a power strip with built-in cord management.  Plus a little surprise I will get to later.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Sometimes a product does not have to be complex to be great.  Little nifty things like the 3 beads on the Zagg  Smartbuds Dan just reviewed.  It seems so simple, but makes a world of difference in its use.  Is the Wii Pedestal Base one of these products?  Let’s find out.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Teleread reported over the weekend that the International ISBN Agency has confirmed each version of an ebook should be assigned what’s called an ISBN, or specific set of numbers to identify it in inventory systems. There has been some confusion about this, as publishers didn’t want to have to apply for ISBNs for each type of ebook; the agency has confirmed that each file type needs a different number, so ePUB, mobi, PDB, etc will continue to receive their own special ISBNs. But what’s an ISBN, and why is this news?… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We had a booq Taipan lift to give away. To enter we asked one simple question- “What is your worst travel story ever?” Well we’ve picked our winner, and his travel nightmare and Gear Diary user name follow.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Android does not come with even a basic notes application. Luckily there are services like Evernote available, but sometimes you need a local notes application (rather than a cloud based one). That’s where Easy Note+Todo steps up. Can it replace a notes app and a to-do list? Read on and find out!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It’s really no secret that many of the Gear Diary team are simply loving Slacker Radio on their smartphones.   If you really want a great take on how Slacker can be customized to fit into your lifestyle, just read’s Dan’s recent post on how much use he’s been getting from Slacker.  Well, guess what?  If you are an Android or BlackBerry smartphone user, you have even more of a reason to download and use Slacker with the 3.0 software upgrade that brings improved wireless station caching. That means you can save, or cache, your favorite Slacker Radio stations (and all those great custom mix stations you’ve set up!) and then listen to them wherever you are — regardless of whether you’re connected to a wireless network.   Streaming Slacker over bluetooth to your radio while driving?  Don’t worry about those “dead spots” where you lose cellular connection again.    Riding the subway?  Just play your cached stations and keep the tunes comin’.  The upgrade also brings a smaller app size on your smartphone, enhanced interface and faster startup.Go to Slacker.com on your BlackBerry or Android device –  or search Android Market for the free upgrade (the  Slacker Radio update to 3.0 is [...]

The song “We Are the World” was originally recorded in 1985 as part of an effort to raise money and awareness for African famine relief. The song was resurrected and recently re-recorded by a new “super-group” this time to raise money for the victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti. Social Media can be very powerful.  YouTube has a lot of great personalities who run their own channels via it.  Some feature comedy videos, some are tech. reviewers and some are singers.  YouTube features a ton of musical channels.  It’s become a place where anyone can upload videos of themselves singing and let the world listen in. I recently stumbled across a YouTube version of “We Are the World” that sung by many of the YouTubers who… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We’re giving away a superb travel bag, the booq Taipan lift. You can read our overview of it HERE. You can learn all about the Taipan lift (and booq’s other products) on the company Web site HERE. And you can enter to win one of your own right HERE! Good luck everyone.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Yesterday, I showed off the HP USB 2.0 Docking Station.  It’s great for easily connecting your computer to all those peripherals (printer, external monitor, etc).    Today, I’m taking a close look at the Display Link USB 2.0 display adapter.  So “What’s a display adapter?” you ask.   If you need to share your monitor through multiple displays, or you find yourself not needing a docking station but simply a way to put your netbook or laptop’s screen on a larger monitor, then I’d say the Display link adapter is for you.  What’s great about this little device is that it supports high-definition resolutions up to 2048×1152. Think about that for a second.  With many of us (myself included) using lightweight laptops and even netbooks for work and play, we often find ourselves sacrificing screen space — and high graphics resolution — for the sake of mobility.   If you use this display adapter, you may never have to make that sacrifice again.     This little adapter can put the joy back into loading your netbook or laptop up with media, games or, heck, even actual work   All of this in a very tiny & portable package: [Good Things Come in Tiny, but [...]

While the last few months have been dominated by publisher drama, it looks like things are quieting down, and we’re starting to hear more about upcoming readers (hardware and software). We have a lot to cover, including the (supposed) upcoming release of a much anticipated reader, so let’s get started! First, let’s start with the big picture. eBook sales increased 176.6% in 2009, showing they are easily the fastest growing segment of the publishing market. Not to be outdone by Amazon’s constant crowing about the Kindle being their best-selling item ever, Barnes and Noble is making the same claims about the nook. Not to rain on B&N’s parade here, but how exactly are they measuring this? It’s not like it’s outselling Harry Potter or the Da Vinci Code. Still, it’s great news that the nook is selling so well, and Barnes and Noble is making it clear they plan to make digital media their future. Now, if only they would fix their pricing disparity…… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

A few months ago I found myself a little bit short in the headphones department. I had given away most of the headphones I had used and reviewed and one of the two pair that I tended to use on a daily basis broke. I mentioned this to Judie and she was kind enough to send me a pair of ZAGG Z.buds that she had reviewed some time ago. When the headphones arrived I was rather impressed. The design was excellent. The heavy-duty, tangle free cord was longer than normal. It included an inline microphone and a volume control and had three unusual “beads” through which the two separate left and right headphone wires passed. At first I didn’t understand what they were for. Then I realized the brilliance of them. They allowed me to put the earbuds over my neck and then adjust them so that all of the weight of the remaining cord was placed on the beaded points rather than on the earbuds themselves. The result was a pair of headphones that stayed in place far better than any that I have used. The sound was ok, not great but good and the microphone worked “well enough”. [...]

The (possible) internal memo from Suzuki management to product team: “Make our sport utility Grand Vitara a bit grander.” Under the mantra of “Travel light and live fully,” Suzuki positions the Grand Vitara (along with some of its other vehicles) as a “lifestage” vehicle, not a move up or a move over.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Where it all started So you say you’re getting download errors on HD movies in iTunes?  You’ve contacted Apple support, and they haven’t been able to help?  Your HD movie sits there in your download queue, just sitting and sitting, and when you try to download it, it times out after slooooowly downloading just a few megabytes?  Learn from me, grasshopper, and you will save yourself some time!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

photo credit: Alex E. Proimos Starting next month, we’ll be bringing the Dear Gear Diary series. Each week, we will be picking out an email or two sent in by our readers, and then posting them with our answers. With this series we hope that we will be able to help out with your gadget-related questions. We have a large group of writers with very different backgrounds, and we are confident that someone here will be able to help with just about any tech or gadget-use questions you… Continue reading on Gear Diary …